zemblanity means the occurrence or discovery of events described as unlucky, unpleasant or expected. It carries an Arena rating of 1642, earned across 9 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, zemblanity ranks #248 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #906 of 17,105 for Most Storied Words, #1,562 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #2,277 of 17,151 for The Improbable.
Why “zemblanity” is a great word
The inevitable discovery, by deliberate and grim investigation, of that which is most unwelcome. Coined by British author William Boyd in 1998, from Nova Zembla (a cold, remote Arctic archipelago), modeled on 'serendipity'. Unlike serendipity, which gifts a joyous accident, or general misfortune, which simply befalls one, zemblanity is the cold, methodological pursuit of a confirmed dread. It is the forensic audit you commissioned revealing your own insolvency, the doctor’s call returning with the exact prognosis you feared, or the deliberate sifting of old letters that yields the one betrayal you suspected all along—a testament to the cruel talent of the human mind for seeking, and finding, its own appointed misery.
Etymology
Coined by British author William Boyd.
noun
- The occurrence or discovery of events described as unlucky, unpleasant or expected.e.g.“For quotations using this term, see Citations:zemblanity.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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